Conservative or Liberal, Deist or Pagan, Jersey transplant or Lehigh Valley native, we're all in this mess together. Let's talk. Let us do no harm. Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne

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Monday, June 08, 2015

Brown Unveils $1 Million Grant Program For Jobs in Smaller Communities

Mosaics on Main

Bethlehem and Easton, which have their own economic development departments, are fairly aggressive about chasing every public dollar they can to attract and retain jobs. But what about smaller communities like Nazareth, where the closure of just a few storefronts make a proud borough look like a ghost town? Economic development in the smaller communities was a campaign theme for Northampton County Executive John Brown. As Bangor's Mayor, he had first hand experience with the difficulties of job creation. Today, standing inside Nazareth's Mosaic on Main, he announced plans to help the County's smaller communities, from Allen Township to Wind Gap.

Xpresso Cafe

It's called the Community Investment Partnership Program, or CIPP, and will be funded by table games revenue from the Sands Casino. While slots revenue grants are closely monitored by a Gaming Board established by Council, state gambling law permits table games revenue to be spent on anything that's "in the best interest" of the County.

Last year, Brown authorized a $42,000 grant to Easton for the purchase of a downtown trolley to relieve parking concerns. But there was no funding program in place, leading to concerns that a slush fund was being established in which money could be doled out at election time. The CIPP program, however, which includes a detailed grant application process and involves the use of the General Purpose Authority, provides a structure under which all 38 of the County's fragmented municipalities can revitalize aging communities.

John Brown

Brown's Director of Community and Economic Development, Diane Donaher, stated that two communities have already been identified for technical assistance grants to help jump start a re-birth of their ageing communities. She is unable to name them, however, until the local governments signal their agreement.

In addition to technical assistance, the County will offer community improvement grants for facades and streetscapes. There will be operations grants to help fund personnel like a regional code enforcement officer, who can work in several communities. There will also be business boost loans, run through the General Purpose Authority, of up to $150,000.

The grant application process starts this week and ends July 31, and can be found at the Northampton County DCED webpage. There will be matching requirements. "This is not a charity," stated Brown.

Brown summed it up by saying the program will "help our downtowns and small communities do what they need to do."

After the news conference was over, everyone moved to the Expresso Cafe next door for a caffeine boost.

If Brown is going to target table games revenue for programs like this (which sounds good by the way), council won't be as easily able to make up for him stealing $2.7 million from Open Space funds like he did this year.

"Illegal use of table game money. This should be scrutinized at every check writing event. And also approved but council, not by a washed up voice over artist"

Nothing about this program appears illegal to me. I'm glad to see a program finally in place for table games revenue. Council had ample opportunity to do something about that growing fund. It took some of it for open space, but basically abdicated its oversight over the rest of that fund. While I personally would like more oversight, Brown's program does provide for some oversight, albeit from an unelected Board. Council is in no position to complain after sitting on its hands and doing nothing, a point I repeatedly made when I warned this could become a slush fund. I am a Brown critic, but agree that economic development in ageing communities is long overdue. I would criticize Brown now for taking so damn long. His term is nearly half over and he is just rolling this out now. There is no excuse for that kind of delay. But the idea itself is a good one.

@3:32 Then tell Brown to propose to council they rescind the 0.5 mill increase that was done to fund Open Space.

And please explain why no other Executive raped the 0.5 mill tax receipts totally the way Brown did - other than the $1m that was mandatory to fund Muni Parks. You sound like a member of Brownstain's team - please go back to work.

Look it up. Two years in a row, 2012 and 2013, the entire $3.7m was spent on Open Space. It's only when jerks with sticky fingers come along and go against the will of the voters that problems crop up.

Here is another question - if Council could so easily find over $1m to replace what Brownstain stole, why didn't Brownstain himself take it from the $3.7m in his budget, instead of making up the boldfaced LIE that "open space advocates agree it is time to take a breather from funding open space." Jackass.

Talk is cheap and that's all this administration does..is talk. We have been made promises like this for over a year now and not a penny has been spent in the suburbs for redevelopment. Short deadline window insures nothing will continue to happen once again. Artificial barriers are in place tokeep the money drought in place. Rich get richer and boroughs go down the drain. Starving us to death.

Boroughs could raise taxes or cut services that are unnecessary like public pools, grass cutting, meals on wheels and whatever else the Tea Party majority promised to cut when they won control of all the little local bouroughs and towns, OR people could seriously start looking into merging these little fiefdoms and save us from multiple duplicate governments for square blocks.

And actually..Bethlehem elected Brown..not the Slate Belt. That is the irony of the whole thing. Casino Johnny rejected by his own town. Historic turn of events as Bangor rejected Brown also on that election day.

"Talk is cheap and that's all this administration does..is talk. We have been made promises like this for over a year now and not a penny has been spent in the suburbs for redevelopment. Short deadline window insures nothing will continue to happen once again. Artificial barriers are in place tokeep the money drought in place. Rich get richer and boroughs go down the drain. Starving us to death."

Since Brown ran on helping the outlying communities, I'd agree he should have had something in place long ago. He waited until his term was halfway over to even announce something.